SQL says it doesn't like to be 'Squeezed'.

I just had my first experience installing SQL Server 2005 yesterday at my current "volunteer" job, and again at home. I had initially thought that after first installing Visual Studio 2008, that it would have already been fully installed along with it, but apparently VS 2008 can't see it's own locally run SQL Server, when I tried adding a database connection within the Server Explorer side tab.


After researching several help files and Microsoft MSDN pages, they all said I should download and install SQL Server 2005 (Express edition being the smallest and easiest). So I went and downloaded the "SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP3" (the newest '05 express version I could find), and ran the easy to follow wizard.


However, on my home PC (both work and Home are XP 32-bit machines, just the work one is an old P4 w/ HT, and barely 512MB ram and 20GB HD. Home one is an Intel Quad-core Q6600, 4GB ram, over 1TB HD, with both XP pro 32 and 64-bit. ), I got an error when trying the installation wizard tried starting up the SQL Server service. The error message said check the Event Viewer's System log for details, but that was just a copy of the same message. Thankfully, the Application Error log gave me an answer saying that:

"The SQL Server service failed to start because the file: [~long SQL file name and address~] is compressed even though it is listed as uncompressed. This file must be deccompressed."

I compress my files often at home, so I guess the SQL files got flagged for compression by some errouneous scan in my daily disk cleanup, and squeezed down when they weren't supposed to be. It was easy to fix this, by just copy pasting the folder address (without the filename), highlight all the compressed files in the folder (in case they all needed to be decompressed), goto properties, click the "Advanced" button beside the "read-only" and "hidden" check boxes, and uncheck the "Compress files to save disk space" checkbox, and you're done.


To be thorough and safe, I also decompressed all the other files in the nearby SQL folders since there were only a handful of them, and the folders were flagged as un-compressed even though the files in them weren't, just as the error message had warned me they'd be.


After that, the SQL service was successfully started and the installation completed. I also didn't have to exit the install wizard while doing this either. There is a "re-run" button on the wizard page where I got stuck, so I wasn't required to start the installaion all over again.
Now going back into Visual Studio 2008, when clicking on the Server name tab while trying to add a database connection, my SQL Express server was finally listed (as "[computername]\[servername]"), and I was able to add the Server to my database connection list, even though I have yet to actually create any database files, diagrams, schemas, tables and whatever in the new database.


With that done now, I'll be off to design and create a database or two for this application that I'm working on, which I'll describe later. (A new project just for work, and the continuation of an old one at home.) Although now I'll probably have an awkward fear of compressing files on my PCs for quite some time....blahg... it's the birth of a new PC superstition. >_<

The Way of the Coder

Have you ever wished your code would just tell you how to fix it?
Perhaps in the future, they'll have debugging AI's that could talk to you and tell you just what your doing wrong with your code. Then again, witty programmers just might make them come up with new ways to declare your stupidity to the world every time you crash your program.

Well since it's still the bug-ridden present, I've been spending time, doing what programmers do the most: debugging.
Mostly integrating a debugging log, sensible exception catching, and editing out possible fault-points within my code. Of course, it all started out with just trying to figure out this one bug, but now that I've past that one, with a few new bugs, I'm exercising more caution to catch them before they can add to my woes.

Just thinking about all these preemptive safety measures, makes me wonder if I should also do some kind of exercises so I don't get carpul tunnel...*crack*...
or slow it down at least.

release version 0.3?.? (I'm not sure what to number a release made with just easy-to-read code and nice debugging messages.)
Custicon@andrew.raynier

New platform for Open Source?

The past few days, I've been happily enjoying the pleasures of a gadget that has become quite hard to find in stores over the past couple of months. With the help of a local "gadget" vendor that sets up shop in the York Cafeteria, I've landed myself a brand new Nintendo DS. But this post isn't about high scores or fun games, because after doing some research on these "homebrew" applications and firmware, I found that along with software for storing and playing music, videos and text files (like e-Books), some of these "homebrewers" have enabled the use of the Opera web browser on the DS.

Now you could also order the official "Nintendo DS Opera Browser" online, but where's the Open Source in that?
From what I've read about this "Team Cyclops" developer crew, they managed this by using firmware that utilizes both of the game cartridge slots (each with slots within the cartridges to insert mini/micro SD memory cards multiple gigabyte capacity), to get enough room to install and run the browser with the memory-eating firmware running at the same time.

More specifically, the memory card expansion slots (that can take either any MicroSD or MiniSD camera memory card) that allow (so far) anywhere from 1GB to 32GB of memory to be stuck into a DS, opens up the possibility of getting Firefox and other Mozilla applications to run on another very popular (and relatively cheap) handheld system. Some of you are probably perfectly happy with your Blackberry handhelds and whatnot, but for "economically challenged" people and students, this may be the shining answer we've been looking for to satisfy our need for more affordable portable Open Source computing entertainment.

Number wise, a DS costs about $130, and depending on the homebrew developer, a cartridge with firmware costs about $50 on average. Then if even paying for the firmware is too much, one group of developers (albeit the unpopular ones) have made their firmware code Open Source. Unfortunately, the other homebrew teams (that' I'm aware of so far) are still relying on the funds from selling their firmware, to pay off their own "economical challenges". In comparison, your average Blackberry lists at over $300 with 2-year service plans going for about $150 (if anybody knows much cheaper prices that still let Firefox work, please tell me), which doesn't look friendly at all to Open Source wallets.

I won't even bother with going into laptop prices, if only to spare myself from another "large-digit" induced depression.

Looking back on the optimistic side of things, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could spread the development of Firefox and Open Source in general, to the millions of young (or young at heart) minds that spend their usually unproductive hours, tapping away at their handheld games? With already versatile features such as WiFi connectivity and text reading and writing (through homebrew apps), I will be dreaming pleasantly of the day when I can connect with people not just with games, but with my own extensions (or other Open Source software) on one little versatile handheld device.

...Now if only I could find those watches that can do video calls. (futuristic Dick Tracy watches anybody?)

--View Andrew's project work at: OSD700-> Favicon Extension

Something a little better

Just for convenience's sake, I'm putting a link up here for my extension that now actually installs properly.
(Yeah I know, I should've fixed that a while ago. But at least it's better late than never.)

Custicon@andrew.raynier.xpi

The code's improved too, although I can't seem to find a workable solution to get images to load in both Firefox 2 and 3. The new Favicon Service for FF3 is still be worked on (The API isn't finalized yet, and there's a lot more of it undocumented).

Contributions

So earlier this week, I contributed to Simon Jung's project by sending him a list of extensions and their Id's for him to use in testing out his Metrics Server Collection. I think Simon's done quite well with such a large component to dig through and test.
You can check his project out over here if you're interested.

Simon was also very helpful to me in contributing to my project by giving me a lovely package of Favicon images (*.ico files) to use in testing out and as an addition to my extension file bundle. Although what I really appreciated from him, was a link to Cathy's extension files to use in contributing to her project, from his blog. Mainly because I had been looking to contribute to it, but her blog, wiki page, and even the project description don't have any links or real information on the canvas3d project.

Well anyways, I managed to download the canvas3d.xpi for minefield, but unfortunately it only works with specific version of Minefield(3.0b1), and mine wasn't one of them (3.0a9pre?). So I went and downloaded and built myself a 3.0b1 version of Minefield (took about 2 hours on the open lab PC), and got the xpi to install. Lucky for me, Simon also noted in his blog the simple images I needed to use to test out this extension.

....after struggling with several failed attempts to get the images to show, only know as I type this, do I realize (after reading through extension errors) that I needed to compile the build as a Gecko project, and not a Browser one.... alright then... back to the salt mines... (ugh, I wonder how many more hours that'll take to compile).

However, assuming I do get all this actually working... there aren't any instructions on what to do with the extension once I do get it working, or a project page I can list my contribution on.
Oh well, I guess as long as I post about it here for Chris to read, that will hopefully be enough.